Residents of several states are panicking because of the 'zombie deer': what is happening to the animals

In Ohio and neighboring states, people see "zombie deer" on the roads. What happens to them and is it worth it to panic at the sight of an animal, the publication said fox weather.

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Recently, the Ohio police were called to investigate a strange phenomenon on the side of the road.

"This deer just stood there and didn't react to us, like it wasn't afraid," said James Love, public relations officer for the Coleraine Township Police Department in Ohio.

Love said that when the police approached the deer, they saw the discoloration of its coat and that despite their proximity, the deer did not move.

“It was a complete surprise to all of us,” Love said. “We have never seen anything like it.”

What are the diseases of deer

What the police saw was a deer suffering from Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD.

EHD is traditionally found in deer in the southeastern United States, where they have developed immunity to the disease. But for deer in Ohio and other parts of the Midwest, where EHD is becoming more common, the disease can be deadly.

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When a deer is sick with EHD, it may develop drooling and swelling. However, other symptoms of disease in deer appear internally.

“They experience a lot of discomfort that is not visible to the naked eye,” explained Michael Tonkovic, deer program administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

Infected deer develop high fevers, body ulcers and internal bleeding, Tonkovic said. Because of these injuries, walking becomes painful for the animal, so they try to move around by crawling on their knees.

Sick deer experience behavioral changes such as depression. They become lethargic and walk in circles.

Animals infected with EHD are called "deer zombies". Tonkovic cautions against using the term to describe any deer illness or unusual behaviour.

“The unfortunate name arose from another serious, always fatal disease of deer - chronic wasting disease,” he noted. “As a result, many now do not understand what is killing these animals in Ohio and Indiana. To be clear, this is a hemorrhagic disease, not a zombie disease."

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How is the disease transmitted

Deer suffering from EHD become infected from midge bites. The midges carry the virus that causes EHD. So when insects bite an animal, such as a deer, they pass the virus into the animal's bloodstream.

Deer bitten by midges and then infected with the virus may take about 5 to 7 days to show symptoms of EHD, Tonkovic said. The deer may die 8-36 hours after the onset of symptoms.

EHD infections tend to become more common during this time of year, especially during dry weather. This causes puddles of stagnant water and farm ponds to begin to dry up and expose mud flats where midges breed.

“So the more habitats, the more midges, more viruses, more infected deer,” Tonkovic said. He clarified that warm weather allows midges to multiply faster, lay eggs and hatch.

The life cycle of midges will begin to slow down only in early November, which may affect the hunting season in local communities in Ohio.

He noted that this disease is not contagious to humans, dogs or cats.

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